Gardening Jobs in November

November is a great time to get your garden back in order.  Things have stopped growing for the year and there's plenty of cutting back.  Bonfires can be incredibly cathartic and big clear outs set the pace for the following season.

Leaf clearnace and how to use the leaves

There will always be plenty of leaves to clear up.  Stock pile them in bags if you want to make leaf mould.  go over them a few times with a lawn mower to speed up the decomposition.  I've heard of people adding urine to it to but I'm unsure as to whether they're taking the p*&£!  Even if you don't intend to make leaf mould keep them back anyway as you can mix them with grass clippings to make compost quickly.  They stop the grass clippings from becoming slimey and smelly too which is what happens if you have too much grass and not enough brown, carbon rich material (like leaves).

Bonfires

If you have pernicious weeds or lots of brash to dispose of this is the month to do it.  No neighbours get annoyed if you have a bonfire in November!  It also makes for a great day in the garden when it's cold and you're chucking stuff on a fire!

Bulb Planting

Keep planting bulbs right through the month to vary when they'll emerge in the Spring.  Tulips can suffer from Tulip fire but this is mitigated by planting them after bonfire night as the fungus causing it (Botrytis tulipae) doesn't develop when the temperature is lower.

Bare Root Plants

Bare root season has begun so if you're needing to plant any hedges, shrubs or trees it's so much cheaper and better for the environment to do it this way.  They're grown in a field and dug up while dormant. This means that there's no need to used peat based media or the disposable plastic pots.  Plants put in during November have all winter to develop a root system before the growing season.  As a result their success rate is greatest during this time.

Cut back spent perennials

If things look scruffy, tidy them up!  Some perennials look great with their spent flower heads left on during the winter as they get frosted.  Think of teasles (Dipsacus species) and Echinachea.  Grasses from the Miscanthus, Calamagrostis and Deschamsia species can look fantastic

Lay lawn turf

It's a great time to lay turf.  it won't be so reliant on huge water use from your hosepipe in the colder, wetter months that are coming.  so long as the frost has thawed it will be fine.  It's also easier to keep off it and it's slower growth means the ground has chance to settle before you have to walk all over it to mow it.

Use the opportunity to asses the garden and see what you'd like to improve next season.  What time of year felt like it was missing something? not enough Autumn and winter colour? Add some bare rooted shrubs such as Cornus alba (dogwood) for it's brightly coloured Autumn tones and young stems.  It's great for bees too!  Lacking a bit in spring? Chuck in some daffodil bulbs and tulips.  Late summer a little disappointing? Look where you have space in borders and make a plan for the Spring.